...all lit up and ready to go I finally received the extra set of LED strip lights for the underside of my Floater Jet after what seemed like a minor eternity. I needed these for the underside of the wings as, while the LED's on the wings and along the sides of the fuselage looked really impressive in the study, it soon became apparent when I'd got the Lightship Mk1 into the air that under-wing illumination was an absolute necessity. This is especially so as at the local field, being bordered by trees, flights are generally above treetop level to avoid awkward situations.
Anyway, the Floater Jet is decked out and ready to go, along with its new 6x5 prop. The latter works well, making it easier to launch, I think due to the larger prop-wash area of the wing, and also make cruising quieter as it develops quite a bit more thrust (about 20% more at low throttle and 40% more at full throttle)....
... loops around the moon A few days ago I took the Walrus for an evening fly at the local field, something of a regular occurrence lately and an opportunity to enjoy a calm and scenic flight as the evening set in.
It was lovely and calm, the sort of flying best suited to a Walrus whose slow and gentle characteristics match the serenity of deepening nightfall, yet with agility and manoeuvrability to graciously accommodate exuberance as well. Of course the first priority on a beautiful evening like this, with the full moon rising orange above the eastern horizon, is putting the Walrus through a few loops around the moon Flying aerobatics doesn't make for the best sunset footage however, with some creative editing and a lovely violin piece, I've managed to put together a video of the beautiful sunset and moon rising...
The poor Radjet has had a very hard life, with numerous crashes in its short life. In fact I'd say the number of crashes to successful flights is about 50:50. A not-unexpected result of this is that the front fuselage has slowly gained weight with layers of fibre tape and super glue to the point, when I flew it this morning, it was flying nose-down again and only barely neutral at full chat. Not a condition I enjoy, so unsurprisingly the landing wasn't the best. So the Radjet it will be subjected to some reconstructive surgery to restore it's flying balance. On a more positive note, I've finally got a proper prop for the Walrus, the 10x6 carbon unit to replace the rather over-sized 11x6 blades I've been running with on reduced throttle setting. These new blades have a very nice contour to them and seem to run efficiently, so the Walrus was very happy...
...sleek and trim I've been having some great flights with the Radjet. Equally, however, I've been struggling to get the little buzzjet into the air consistently; some mornings I've managed four perfect launches without issue, the next morning my attempts result in death rolls straight into the turf.
This morning was no different, with two attempts ending abruptly. However I did manage to have one successful launch and a great flight - about ten minutes steering the Radjet at speed doing flypasts, rolls loops and some high-g maneuvers. Flying the Radjet requires a fundamentally different approach to the Walrus or the Floater Jet. While its speed is a quantum leap above the others, it's the direct nature of the Radjet's flight performance that differs most - it flies flat and straight at almost any speed once you've set elevator trim for the cruising speed of your choice. I've it trimmed for about three-quarter throttle so that it has a gradual climb under full power.
It was also the first flight with modified wingtips, a result of half a pod going walkabout after an unscheduled outlanding into the reed-grass in the paddocks. I had done a bit of research and found people, who had remarkably similar experiences to mine, had trimmed the wingtip pods off completely. I had a suspicion that they might help to reduce tip loss somehow so, instead of cutting them off completely, I left a small trimmed section. Although I can't really say definitively whether this made things better, I can say the Radjet certainly didn't fly any worse and, perhaps, maybe a little faster. I agree that the pods do make the silhouette in flight more distinctive I can say that, once I had the Jet howling across the paddocks, I really didn't miss them...
...unexpected benefit of low flying Another lovely morning to fly, unseasonably cold and cloudy with a modest breeze. Following heavy rains, the duck pond had reappeared and was being patronised by a flock of ducks as well as a host of swallows flitting low over its surface. A grey heron trod slowly through the shallow water searching intently for bugs.
Following a few aerobatics, I brought Wally down for some low flying again, over the pond and paddocks. During one of the passes buzzing low over the pond's surface the Walrus dipped a little, and suddenly the prop was kicking up spray; real prop wash!
Fortunately the Walrus had enough momentum to skim to the edge of the pond. A quick inspection revealed damage was limited to a few drops of water which had leaked in through the cooling vents, nothing another fast buzz around the paddocks wouldn't dry out...
...another breezy but flyable morning Just like yesterday, it was windy home but there was just a moderate breeze at the field, so I had the Walrus up and flying in no time. The breeze picked up noticeably a little later, but nothing too much to disturb Wally's stable nature.
For a little entertainment I stood at the paddock fence and guided the Walrus around the trees and on low passes over the paddocks. Low flying is good fun although something l only try if conditions are stable - it doesn't take much to drop the plane a few feet onto the deck! I'm pretty comfortable with inverted flight now; it certainly doesn't give me the creepy feeling when I first tried it. However, despite increasing aptitude I still don't do it near the ground, giving myself the option of a positive loop pull-out just in case...
...a chance to fly before the rain arrives in force! Yesterday was very frustrating. The forecast was hot so, despite a beautifully calm and cool morning, I didn't take the Walrus for fear it might melt in the car during the day. However the hot weather forecasted never happened as a cool chance arrived early, so a perfectly good morning's flying gone to waste.
The calm evening boded well for a delayed opportunity to get into the air. Having waited for the sports practices to end, I eagerly headed out the door with Walrus in hand anticipating an enjoyable half hour of floating Wally around in the sunset. Except, as I stepped out of the door, the gentle breeze turned instantaneously into gusty winds. Turn on heel, unload Walrus and glare annoyedly at waving treetops from inside...
So this morning my expectations were not high with heavy clouds populating the horizon and the treetops moving despite the early hour. Nevertheless, somewhat desperate for the opportunity to catch some air I packed the Walrus and headed off to work.
Climbing out at the field I was delighted to find the breeze gentle and steady, and hints of drizzle on the windscreen happily abeyed. So, battery connected and camera in place, the Walrus headed off to say hello to the cloudy sky...
As evening approached, the heat abated and winds dropped enough to scramble down the road for a dusk flight.
Clouds had amassed with the dropping temperatures, so the setting sun had a blank canvas on which to display fading pastel hues of orange and pink, a vivid contrast to the increasingly dark grey of the clouds. The gentle cool breeze was a welcome change from the heat of the day as I let the Walrus loose through the skies in a cathartic display of aerobatics and low-passes across the field. Eventually satiated, I dropped off the power and gently cruised the plane as evening approached until, the light fading I turned the Walrus in on finals. A typically floaty landing would have rounded off a lovely evening's flying, however I had misjudged the wind direction and had the Walrus side-on to the breeze. This sharply tilted the wings, causing the Walrus to thump onto the turf in one of the worst landings it's had. There's always something...
